Print

Mail

wiki links

Cross-strait farm trade should be conducted under WTO

Agricultural exchanges between Taiwan and China should be conducted under the framework of the WTO as both sides of the Taiwan Strait are members of the world trade regulatory body, Council of Agriculture officials said yesterday.

The council is not opposed to private agricultural exchanges across the Taiwan Strait if the trade or exchanges involve no public authority exercise of power, such as customs tariffs and quarantine, council officials said.

If Taiwan farm products heading to China have to pass through customs tariffs and quarantine, the trade should not be conducted without approval by government offices or prior negotiations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait by government-authorized intermediary bodies such as the Straits Exchange Foundation, the officials said.

Meanwhile, the nation has interacted with China according to WTO regulations and will review China's progress in honoring its market-opening promises next year, Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) officials said yesterday.

The officials were responding to a seven-point consensus on cross-strait relations reached during a meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and representatives of the Cabinet and the Democratic Progressive Party on Tuesday.

The BOFT officials said Taiwan welcomes the opening of the Chinese market to Taiwanese agricultural products according to WTO standards.
This story has been viewed 1526 times.